Just a Little Longer
by Angel-of-vampires
Summary: A alternate version of the Season 3 episode called Catch and Release the first episode . If you haven't seen this episode yet, then this story contains spoilers. If you have seen it, then you might like this little story that I've written. ET/Nav. Enjoy


A/N: I hated that ET died, I really did. So I wrote this story so that the events of the episode and series could still take place and have the same meaning (well, almost), but also that he didn't die. Just almost.

David Lyons had to leaveSea Patrol for other commitments, but I am going to keep imagining and live in my own little world of denial that this is what really happened. You're welcome to join me in denial haha

I don't own anything but my overactive imagination. Oh, and the part in italics is my description of what happened in this episode, so I guess I don't own that part either.

Enjoy!

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**Just a Little Longer**

Immediately, He realised that something was wrong. He suddenly couldn't breathe normally. Abandoning what he was doing at that moment, he started to swim towards the surface, if only to see what was wrong with his breathing equipment.

Harder and faster, he stuck for the surface. He was fighting not only the currents and the pressure of the water, but also the lightheaded feeling that he was gradually starting to experience.

'_Just a little longer.'_ He thought, desperate to reach the surface, which was so close he could almost feel it, '_Got to get a little further. I have the see my future wife again. I've got to get there for her.'_

He tried to push the darkness from his eyes, but he couldn't fight it much longer. Eventually, it was too much for his body, and his world went black.

~**~

Taken by the currents, the prone body reached the surface not long after his world went black. The waves held his face out of the reach of the waves, and the air filled his desperate lungs with oxygen.

His unconscious form was dragged through the waves until it reached a sandy shore, and seven more figures shortly joined the first, though the oxygen in the atmosphere could do nothing for them. They hadn't been as lucky as the newer man on the dive team.

~**~

_The HMAS Hamersley wasn't too far off shore, and the small RHIBS were pulling up close to the beach._

'Please. He can't be one of them.' _Nav thought, desperately hoping that she wouldn't find her fiancés body on the beach._

_The crew disembarked from the RHIBS as soon as they were in the shallows, and they ran towards the prone figures on the sandy shore._

_They quickly checked the bodies for signs of life, while Nav scanned their faces._

_They all looked up, horrified, as her piercing scream echoed over the empty shore._

~**~

"No." She whispered, as she looked into the face of the man she loved "He can't be dead.

She rested her hand against his neck as she tried to move him further out of the waves, which is when she realised that she could feel something. He had a pulse!

"Swain!" She cried, and he immediately ran over to her and the still body of their ET.

Together, they worked to stabilise him and get him back on board the _Hamersley_ as quickly as possible.

Once onboard, Buffer helped Swain with ET's body as they took him to the medical room. There, Swain could give ET the medical attention that he was able to give him until they got to home port and a hospital.

After quickly getting the bodies of the other seven divers on board, they started the journey to their home port.

"Please, Swain. He has to be alright." Nav said, tears in her eyes.

"I'll look after him, Nav. Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to him." Swain promised her.

The XO took her by the hand and led her from the small medical room and away from ET.

"Come and sit with me." She told the younger woman. Nav was unable to stop the tears rolling down her cheeks, so she led her into their cabin and sat her down on a chair. After handing her a tissue (or ten), X realised that there was a ring on Navs' tags.

"You're engaged?" She asked. This just caused Nav to cry harder.

X was shocked to learn the truth about Nav and ET. As was everyone else. Nav tried to deny it, but everyone knew from the look on her face that there was something going on. Eventually she'd admitted the entire truth to them. Although none of them had known the full truth, some of them had suspicions. And Spider had proclaimed loudly that he'd known all along, but everyone doubted it anyway.

The journey back to the home port in Cairns seemed longer than it really had been for the crew. Swain did a great job looking after ET, but he knew that his friend needed proper medical attention that could only be provided in a hospital. Everyone was worried about what would happen if they didn't get back in time. ET was not only a co-worker, but a friend to everyone on the_ Hamersley_. And now that they knew the truth about Nav and ET, they knew that they had to get to port quickly for her sake.

~**~

As _Hamersley_docked, Swain, Buffer and Nav accompanied the body of ET to the waiting ambulance.

"Look after him, Nav." Buffer said, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Thank you." She said, and climbed into the back of the ambulance with her fiancé.

The ride to the hospital went by quickly, with paramedics checking that Josh was stable the entire time. They asked Nikki questions about his condition the way there, and she answered as best she could.

After arriving at the hospital, Nikki was led to a waiting room until the staff were happy with Josh's condition. It was probably this time of waiting that killed her the most. All she could think was _'he has to be alright. What will I do without him?'_

After what felt like hours (but was more close to half an hour), Nikki was led to a small room, where Josh lay in the bed.

"Please. You have to be alright. I'm nothing without you." Nikki whispered, sitting beside Josh's hospital bed.

Leaning back in her chair, she closed her eyes and pictured his own blue eyes staring back at her.

"Nikki." A soft voice from the bed said.

"You're alright!" Nikki cried, jumping up and flinging her arms around Josh.

He laughed "I am now that I've got you in my arms again."

"I never thought I'd hear your voice again. Never thought I'd see you smile." She said. A small tear eased its way out from the corner of her eye. Smiling, he wiped it away "I had to see you again. I needed to see you again. You're the reason I kept on fighting. I didn't want to give up, in case I never got to see you again. I kept telling myself 'just a little longer.' I had to keep pushing." Josh said.

Tears were flowing freely down Nikki's cheeks, and she was no longer fighting them "And now we have longer to spend with each other."

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Thanks for reading! Please review and tell me what you thought!

~ Angel-of-vampires


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